Heat exchange device



y 1944- P. F. SPERRY HEAT EXCHANGE DEVICE s Sl ieets-Sheet 1 Filed June 16, 1941- May 23, 1944.

P. F. SPERRY HEAT EXCHANGE DEVICE "Ei-Ied' June 16, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 23, 1944. P. F. SPERRY 2,349,683

' HEAT EXCHANGE DEVICE Filed June 16, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented May 23, 1944 Excel Auto Radiator Gompany, Chicago, Ill.,

a corporation of Delaware Application June'lfi, 1941, Serial No. 398,247

3 Claims.

This invention relates to heaters designed particularly for useon an automobile or .truck and arranged for circulating a comparatively large amount of air into and from the body of the car and. for delivering a smaller amount of heated air for a special purpose such as for defrosting the windshield or heating the rear compartment of the car.

It is the object of the invention to provide a new and improved form and arrangement of parts by which the desired results may be attained to the best advantage. In the preferred arrangement, a radiator core is employed comprising two headers of generally horseshoe or segmental ring form in'vertically spaced relation to each other, connected by a series of flattened tubes in spaced relation about the headers, the tubes being provided with the usual heat radiating fins extending generally radially of the ring with their inner edges forming an outline of a segment of a cylinder. The space within the outline is adapted to receive a motor and a centrifugal fan for forcing air outwardly through the core between adjacent fins. A. casing or housing isprovided about the radiator core. The housing has entrance openings for air in its top face and has a seriesof air discharge openings in spaced relation to each other about the sides and rear face portion of the housing, the radiator core being rigidly connected with the housing.

Below the motor, a second centrifugal type fan is provided with an auxiliary housing thereabout communicating with the main housing by means of a large opening in the bottom wall of the main housing, being arranged so as to cause a comparatively small portion of the air passing outwardly through the radiator core to flow downwardly along the side face and the bottom face of the lower header of the core for access to said second fan.

In the preferred arrangement, the motor and the main centrifugal fan by which air is driven outwardly through the core of the radiator are eccentrically positioned with respect to the substantially cylindrical inner face of the radiator core. The fan axis is offset toward the open side of the core, this being toward the closed side of the housing, such arrangement havin been found to be very effective for directing the proper volume of air outwardly through the various discharge openings in the main housing and for directing a portion of the output from the main fan to the auxiliary fan for delivery thereby. In the improved arrangement. the chamher within which the main centrifugal fan operates is defined at the side portion closest to the fan by a metal plate which is imperforate so as to confine the air and to'build up a back pressure in the chamber at this point. The preferred arrangement comprises a pipe connection for delivery of hot water to the core at a point closely adjacent to the forward edge of the metal closure plate so as to bring the air forced outwardly at this point into contact with the hottest portions of the radiator core. The increased pressure of the air at this point insures a substantial feed of air downwardly to the auxiliary fan across the side and bottom face portions of the lower header at the hottest part of such lower header so as to cause the temperature of the air delivered by the auxiliary fan to be comparatively high.

It. is another object of this invention to improve heaters of this type in sundry details. hereinafter pointed out. The preferred means by which the several objects have been attained are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which 1 Fig. 1 is, a vertical sectional view through the improved heater, being substantially a section taken atthe line ll of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2. is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially at the line 22 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially at the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the several figures of the drawings, in which corresponding parts are indicated by the same reference characters, Ill and II indicate headers formed of sheet metal and of generally horseshoe form, the header I0 being positioned in upwardly spaced relation to the header II. The headers l0 and II are connected together by means of flattened tubes l2 arranged in spaced relation to each other circumferentially of the headers. Upon the tubes I2, a great number of fins I3 are provided to assist in the radiation of heat from the tubes as is usual in radiators of this type. By reason of the formation of the headers in horseshoe form, the headers and fins give the core the shape of a segment of a cylinder with a large central opening therethrough for the reception of a motor and fan as hereinafter described. The upper header I0 is provided with a pipe M which is adapted to be connected with the radiator of the car upon which the heater is mounted for circulating hot water from the car radiator through the core. For return of the water to the car radiator a return water pipe l5 is connected to the lower header The arrangement is such that the radiator core comprising the headers l and II may be supported largely through the medium of the water pipes I4 and I5, as is well understood in this art.

About the radiator core comprising the headers l0 and and their connections, amain casing I5 is mounted, formed of sheet metal having its sides and its'rear-faceportlon in" substantially cylindrical form conforming to the shape of the headers I ll and II, and with its front wall portion straight in transverse position. The front face of the housing I6 is provided with bolts I! which are adapted to be connected with any suitable portion of the automobile for assisting in the support of the heater with respect to the car body. The core is connected with the housing H; by means of a pluralityof lugs or blocks N3 of any suitable type.

Inside of the chamber provided by the radiator core, which chamber is of substantially cylindrical form, an electric motorl9 and a centrifugal fan 29 are rotatably mounted in eccentric position with respect to the chamber provided by the core, as is clearly shown in Fig. 2. For effecting the mounting of the motor l9 in rigid position, a heavy plate 2| is employed. as is clearly shown in Fig. 1, rigidly connected with the motor at its bottom face and provided with a flange 22 fixed on the inner face of the header M. The centrifugal fan 20 in turn is fixedly mounted upon the upper end of the shaft 23 of the motor, the connection between the shaft and the cylindrical body portion of the fan 20 being effected by means of a cup-shaped member 24 formed of sheet metal and connected in inverted position with the fan by means of an outwardly extending flange 25. The body of the fan 20 is provided with obliquely disposed blade portions 26 preferably formed integrally with the wall of the fan so as to force air outwardly upon rotation of the motor and fan in counter clockwise direction in Fig. 2. At its upper end portion, the body portion of the. fan 29 is provided with an inwardly extending rib 2! which normally stands in close proximity to a. downwardly extending flange 23 about an opening in a transversely positioned plate 29 secured in transverse position in the central opening of the header Ill. The arrangement is such that upon rotation of the motor and fan 20 the air is directed downwardly into the fan body from the openings 30 in the top wall of the casing or housing I6.

In the arrangement as shown in Fig. 2, the

chamber provided by the core of the heater radiator is closed at its front face portion by means of an imperforate plate 3| formed of sheet metal and secured in position by means of flanges 32. The chamber defined by the heater radiator core and the plate 3| is cylindrical, with the eccentrically mounted motor |9 and fan 20 closer to the plate 3| than they are to any other portion of the wall of the chamber enclosed by the core.

At its bottom face, the housing I6 is provided with a large central opening directly underneath the motor l9, there being a downwardly extending flange 33 provided about such opening. Below such central opening through the bottom wall of the housing, a second or auxiliary centrifugal fan member 34 is provided, being mounted upon the lower end of the motor shaft 23, as is clearly shown in Fig. 1. The fan member 34 comprises a body portion 35 formed of sheet metal with a cylindrical portion 35a extending upwardly from the lower edge portion of the body 35 of the fan with inwardly projecting fan blades 36 formed integrally with the cylindrical portion 350. so as to force air outwardly through a delivery pipe 31 of an auxiliary housing member 38 secured to the main housing l6 about the auxiliary fan 34. At its upper end portion, the cylinder 35a stands in close proximity to the downwardly extending flange 33 of the housing |6,as is clearly shown in Fig. 1.

The heater has been described upon the basis that it is mounted in position as shown in Fig. 1 with the auxiliary fan 34 extending downwardly from the bottom face of the housing I6. This is the position in which the heater is designed ordinarily to operate, and the structure has been described upon this basis without any intent to limit the use of the device in that particular relative position.

In operation, with the parts in the arrangement as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, in which the fan 29 is positioned eccentrically in the core, when the motor I9 is driven in counter clockwise direction in Fig. 2, air is drawn downwardly through the openings 30 at the top of the housing and is forced outwardly through the openings between the vanes or blades 26 and through the openings in the core so as to escape from the housing l6 through openings 39 in its outer wall. With the core comprising the headers l0 and I connected up with a source of hot water adapted to enter through the pipe l4 and escape through the pipe l5, upon rotation of the motor l9 the air entering through the openings 30 and forced outwardly through the openings 39 is very substantially heated. Upon the rotation of the fan 20, streams of air are forced outwardly through all of the openings 39 by reason of the pressure of the air within the central chamber of the core. At the portion of the cylindrical chamber defined by the plate 3|, however, the air is not permitted to escape radially from the chamber, with the result that an air pressure is built up to at least a limited degree within the chamber opposite the plate 3|, such excessive pressure being greatest at the left hand edge of the plate 3| as shown in Fig. 2, that is to say, at a point closely adjacent to that at which the hot water is delivered to the header I0 through the pipe I4. At this point of greatest pressure, there is the greatest tendency for the air passing outwardly through the core to pass downwardly between the core and the wall of the outer casing |6 for delivery to the auxiliary fan 34. With the parts thus arranged, the air which is forced downwardly past the end portion of the header H at the left in Fig. 2 acquires additional heat from the walls of the header as such air moves downwardly and inwardly to the fan 34.

With the parts operating as described, a comparatively large supply of air is forced outwardly through the openings 39 into the body of the car, comparatively colder air being drawn inwardly through the openings 30 from the body of the car. At the same time, a comparatively much smaller quantity of air is being drawn downwardly along the side and bottom face portions of the header so as to acquire additional heat for delivery outwardly through the duct 31 for passage to the fact of the windshield, to the rear compartment of the car, or to any other point as may be desired for anyspecial purpose.

The heater is preferably mounted to the dashboard of the car at the right hand side. The flat front wall of the housing is imperforate except for the openings for the pipes l4 and I5. The bottom part of the housing is also imperforate except for the large central opening leading to the fan 34. Thus the air outlet to the car is confined generally to the openings 39. The plate 2| seals off the bottom of the space within the heater core and joins with the plate 3!. Thus all the air drawn into the large centrifugal fan must pass through the heater core to escape, and all of the air flowing to the auxiliary fan 33 is drawn along the outer and bottom faces of the header II.

The eccentric mountin of the large centrifugal fan in the core serves to direct the air volume in a most desirable fashion. It will be seen from Fig. 2 that the distance from the large fan to the fins of the heater core increases from the center of plate 3| to a point diametrically opposite the plate. This enables the fan to push a greater volume of air out toward the driver and toward the seat. As the space decreases between the fan and the fins on the right hand side of the unit as shown in Fig. 2, the back pressure is greater and therefore less volume of air is thrown out toward the door at that side of the car. Thus the unit serves automatically to distribute the heated air according to the usual demand.

While the form and arrangement as above described are preferred, the invention is not to be limited thereto, except so far as the claims may be so limited, since changes might well be made in the form and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Iclaim:

1. In a heater, the combination of a radiator core comprising two headers of arcuate form in spaced relation to each other, tubes connecting said headers together at intervals thereabout, and fins mounted on said tubes between said headers giving the core as a whole the form of a segment of a cylinder with a central opening through the core, imperforate plate means concentric with the inner face of the core and extending from one end thereof to the other and secured to the ends of said headers, a centrifugal fan rotor rotatably mounted in the central opening of the core and offset with respect to the center of the opening toward the imperforate plate, and means for rotating said rotor for driving air outwardly through the core.

2. In a heater, the combination of a radiator core in the form of a segment of a cylinder and provided with a large central opening therethrough, auxiliary closure means effectively closing the side wall of the central opening between the ends of the segment, a rotor rotatably mounted in said central opening in substantially closer proximity to the wall of the opening formed by said auxiliary closure means than at other points thereabout adapted when rotated to force air outwardly through the core, means for driving said rotor, means for delivering hot water to said core adjacent to one edge of said auxiliary closure means, means for taking water from said core adjacent to the opposite edge of the auxiliary closure means, the arrangement being such that increased pressure is built up by reason of the closure of the side wall of the central opening at one side thereof which increased pressure is relieved through the core at a point closely adjacent to that at which the hot water is delivered to the core, and auxiliary fan means communicating with the core exterior at substantially all points thereabout and adapted to carry away a portion of the air forced through the core.

3. A heat exchange device comprising a radiator core of arcuate shape providing a central opening and having air passages extending from said central opening outwardly to the periphery of the core, connections for circulating hot Water through the core, a centrifugal type fan mounted in said central opening, a motor in said central opening driving said fan, a housing about said core and fan having an air inlet to said central opening and having air outlet means in the portion thereof outwardly of the periphery of the core, said housing having an air outlet in the face thereof opposite said air inlet, a booster fan at said outlet driven by said motor and adapted to draw part of the air from said housing after it has passed through the core, and means cooperating with said motor and core to prevent passage of air directly from said central opening to said air outlet.

PHILMORE F. SPERRY. 

